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SENATE BILL NO. 5593
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C 028 L 90
State of Washington 51st Legislature 1989 Regular Session
By Senators Patterson, DeJarnatt, McMullen, Nelson, Thorsness, Barr and von Reichbauer; by request of Department of Transportation
Read first time 1/30/89 and referred to Committee on Transportation.
AN ACT Relating to vehicle length; and amending RCW 46.44.030.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. Section 46.44.030, chapter 12, Laws of 1961 as last amended by section 1, chapter 351, Laws of 1985 and RCW 46.44.030 are each amended to read as follows:
It is unlawful for any person to operate upon the public highways of this state any vehicle other than a municipal transit vehicle having an overall length, with or without load, in excess of forty feet: PROVIDED, That an auto stage or school bus shall not exceed an overall length, inclusive of front and rear bumpers, of forty feet: PROVIDED FURTHER, That the route of any auto stage in excess of thirty-five feet or school bus in excess of thirty-six feet six inches upon or across the public highways shall be limited as determined by the department of transportation for state highways, or by the local legislative authority for other public roads.
It is
unlawful for any person to operate on the highways of this state any
combination of vehicles that contains a vehicle ((of which the permanent
structure is)) in excess of forty-eight feet, with or without load.
It is unlawful for any person to operate upon the public highways of this state any combination consisting of a tractor and semitrailer that has a semitrailer length in excess of forty-eight feet or a combination consisting of a tractor and two trailers in which the combined length of the trailers exceeds sixty feet, with or without load.
It is unlawful for any person to operate on the highways of this state any combination consisting of a truck and trailer with an overall length, with or without load, in excess of seventy-five feet. However, a combination of vehicles transporting automobiles or boats may have a front overhang of three feet and a rear overhang of four feet beyond this allowed length.
These length limitations do not apply to vehicles transporting poles, pipe, machinery, or other objects of a structural nature that cannot be dismembered and operated by a public utility when required for emergency repair of public service facilities or properties, but in respect to night transportation every such vehicle and load thereon shall be equipped with a sufficient number of clearance lamps on both sides and marker lamps upon the extreme ends of any projecting load to clearly mark the dimensions of the load.
The length limitations described in this section are exclusive of safety and energy conservation devices, such as mud flaps and splash and spray suppressant devices, refrigeration units or air compressors, and other devices that the department determines to be necessary for safe and efficient operation of commercial vehicles. No device excluded under this paragraph from the limitations of this section may have, by its design or use, the capability to carry cargo.